The table below should help with your "A Midsummer Night's Dream" critical essay:
A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
Quotations
Remember to select appropriate parts of quotations. Short quotations should be embedded and longer ones should be isolated.
Hermia and Lysander
They are forbidden to be together by Hermia’s father.
Egeus
Consent to marry with Demetrius,
I beg the ancient privilege ofAthens;
As she is mine, I may dispose of her;
Which shall be either to this gentleman
Or to her death, according to our law
(I.i. 41-44)
Theseus introduces an alternative penalty to death.
Theseus
Either to die the death, or abjure
For ever the society of men.
Therefore, fair Hermia, question your desires,
Know of your youth, examine well your blood,
Whether, if you yield not to your father’s choice,
You can endure the livery of a nun,
For aye in shady cloister mew’d,
To live a barren sister all your life…
(I.i.65-72)
Puck’s potion leads to Lysander abandoning Hermia; her devastation is made clear.
Hermia
[waking] help me, Lysadner, help me! Do thy best
To pluck this crawling serpent from mybrest!
Ay me, for pity! What a dream was here!
Lysander, look how I do quake with fear – Methought a serpent ate my heart away,
And you sat smiling at his cruel prey.
(II.ii.151-156)
Demetrius and Helena
Demetrius insultsHelena
Demetrius
Tempt not too much the hatred of my spirit;
For I am sick when I do look on thee.
(II.i.211-212)
Demetrius threatensHelena
Demetrius
You do impeach your modesty too much,
To leave the city and commit yourself
Into the hands of one that loves you not;
To trust the opportunity of night,
(II.i.214-216)
Demetrius
I will not stay thy questions. Let me go;
Or if thou follow me, do not believe
But I shall do thee mischief in the wood.
(II.i.235-237)
Helenaremains determined
Helena
Ay, in the temple, in the town, the field,
You do me mischief. Fie, Demetrius,
Your wrongs do set a scandal on my sex!
We cannot fight for love, as men may do;
We should be woo’d, and were not made to woo.
(II.i.238-242)
Helenabelieves Lysander and Demetrius are mocking her when they both protest their love for her. This is a complete reversal of the earlier situation and soHelenaremains unhappy even when Demetrius claims to love her.
Helena
Wherefore was I to this keen mockery born?
When at your hands did I deserve this scorn?
Is’t not enough, is’t not enough, young man,
That I did never, no, nor never can
Deserve a sweet look from Demetrius’ eye
But you must flout my insufficiency?
(II.ii.129-134)
Helena
Oh spit! Oh Hell! I see you all are bent
To set against me for your merriment!
(III.ii.145-146)
Oberon and Titania
The circumstances surrounding their quarrel is explained
Puck
The king doth keep his revels here tonight.
Take heed the queen come not within his sight,
For Oberon is passing fell and wrath,
Because that she as her attendant hath
A lovely boy stol’n from an Indian king;
She never had so sweet a changeling,
And jealous Oberon would have the child
Knight of his train, to trace the forests wild.
(II.i.18-25)
Oberon concocts a plan to punish Titania and to allow him to steal the boy away.
Oberon
Having once this juice
I’ll watch Titania when she is asleep,
And drop the liquor of it in her eyes:
The next thing then she, waking, looks upon –
Be it on lion, bear or wolf, or bull,
On meddling monkey, or on a busy ape –
She shall pursue it with soul of love.
(II.i.177-182)
Oberon removes the spell and he is reunited with Titania
Titania
[starting up] My Oberon, what visions have I seen!
Methought I was enamour’d of an ass.
Pyramus and Thisbee
The couple can only see each other by gazing through a chink in the wall that separates the properties of their families. The families are feuding so this means the lovers cannot be together
Pyramus
But what see I? No Thisbee do I see.
O wicked wall, through whom I see no bliss,
Curs’d be thy stones for thus deceiving me!
Thisbee arrives in the forest to find a terrifying lion. She runs away but her valise falls of as she departs. Pyraus arrives to see the lion holding Thisbee’s valise; it is now blood soaked. Pyramus assumes the worst and commits suicide believing that this is the onoly way he can be with Thisbee. Thisbee then arerives to find Pyramus and takes the same tragic course of action. The quotation opposite shows Thisbee’s reaction to finding Pyramus’s body.
Thisbee Asleep, my love?What, dead, my dove?O Pyramus, arise!Speak, speak. Quite dumb?Dead, dead? A tombMust cover thy sweet eyes.These My lips,This cherry nose,These yellow cowslip cheeks,Are gone, are gone:Lovers, make moan:His eyes were green as leeks.O Sisters Three,Come, come to me,With hands as pale as milk;Lay them in gore,Since you have shoreWith shears his thread of silk.Tongue, not a word:Come, trusty sword;Come, blade, my breast imbrue: Stabs herself And, farewell, friends;Thus Thisby ends:Adieu, adieu, adieu. (IV. i. 75-100)
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The table below should help with your "A Midsummer Night's Dream" critical essay:
A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
Quotations
Remember to select appropriate parts of quotations. Short quotations should be embedded and longer ones should be isolated.
Consent to marry with Demetrius,
I beg the ancient privilege ofAthens;
As she is mine, I may dispose of her;
Which shall be either to this gentleman
Or to her death, according to our law
(I.i. 41-44)
Either to die the death, or abjure
For ever the society of men.
Therefore, fair Hermia, question your desires,
Know of your youth, examine well your blood,
Whether, if you yield not to your father’s choice,
You can endure the livery of a nun,
For aye in shady cloister mew’d,
To live a barren sister all your life…
(I.i.65-72)
[waking] help me, Lysadner, help me! Do thy best
To pluck this crawling serpent from mybrest!
Ay me, for pity! What a dream was here!
Lysander, look how I do quake with fear – Methought a serpent ate my heart away,
And you sat smiling at his cruel prey.
(II.ii.151-156)
Tempt not too much the hatred of my spirit;
For I am sick when I do look on thee.
(II.i.211-212)
You do impeach your modesty too much,
To leave the city and commit yourself
Into the hands of one that loves you not;
To trust the opportunity of night,
(II.i.214-216)
I will not stay thy questions. Let me go;
Or if thou follow me, do not believe
But I shall do thee mischief in the wood.
(II.i.235-237)
Ay, in the temple, in the town, the field,
You do me mischief. Fie, Demetrius,
Your wrongs do set a scandal on my sex!
We cannot fight for love, as men may do;
We should be woo’d, and were not made to woo.
(II.i.238-242)
Wherefore was I to this keen mockery born?
When at your hands did I deserve this scorn?
Is’t not enough, is’t not enough, young man,
That I did never, no, nor never can
Deserve a sweet look from Demetrius’ eye
But you must flout my insufficiency?
(II.ii.129-134)
Oh spit! Oh Hell! I see you all are bent
To set against me for your merriment!
(III.ii.145-146)
The king doth keep his revels here tonight.
Take heed the queen come not within his sight,
For Oberon is passing fell and wrath,
Because that she as her attendant hath
A lovely boy stol’n from an Indian king;
She never had so sweet a changeling,
And jealous Oberon would have the child
Knight of his train, to trace the forests wild.
(II.i.18-25)
Having once this juice
I’ll watch Titania when she is asleep,
And drop the liquor of it in her eyes:
The next thing then she, waking, looks upon –
Be it on lion, bear or wolf, or bull,
On meddling monkey, or on a busy ape –
She shall pursue it with soul of love.
(II.i.177-182)
[starting up] My Oberon, what visions have I seen!
Methought I was enamour’d of an ass.
But what see I? No Thisbee do I see.
O wicked wall, through whom I see no bliss,
Curs’d be thy stones for thus deceiving me!
Asleep, my love?What, dead, my dove?O Pyramus, arise!Speak, speak. Quite dumb?Dead, dead? A tombMust cover thy sweet eyes.These My lips,This cherry nose,These yellow cowslip cheeks,Are gone, are gone:Lovers, make moan:His eyes were green as leeks.O Sisters Three,Come, come to me,With hands as pale as milk;Lay them in gore,Since you have shoreWith shears his thread of silk.Tongue, not a word:Come, trusty sword;Come, blade, my breast imbrue:
Stabs herself
And, farewell, friends;Thus Thisby ends:Adieu, adieu, adieu.
(IV. i. 75-100)